MARVEL
TV
Spider-Man Pilot
A far cry from the mature drama of the Incredible Hulk pilot. The abbreviated origin blasphemously cans Uncle Ben and his lesson on responsibility. The costume is perfect and the wire work looks good, but the action is relegated to a few guys with sticks.
Premiere: Sep 14, 1977
The Incredible Hulk Pilot
A mature psychological drama, pushing the genre beyond the campy shows of the past. Taps into the phenomenon of mother's finding the strength to lift a car off a child, grounding the science. Powerful performances with a tragic theme.
Premiere: Nov 4, 1977
Death in the Family: The Return of the Incredible Hulk
Establishes the classic wandering samaritan format. A steep decline in quality with some hilariously bad editing & a bland plot. That said, it's completely saved by the scene where Hulk fights a live bear.
Premiere: Nov 27, 1977
The Incredible Hulk Season 1
On the run, David Banner wanders state to state cursed that everyone he meets will soon be targeted by a killer. Also he turns into a rage monster. Formulaic but consistent, anchored by Bixby's strong performance. Could use more Ferrigno.
Premiere: Mar 10, 1978
The Amazing Spider-Man Season 1
A slight improvement. Added a utility belt to mask the wire work & thankfully gave up on the green screen. Night of the Clones is the standout with its gun-toting Ben Reilly, but the plot abruptly solves itself before much fun is had.
Premiere: Apr 5, 1978
The Amazing Spider-Man Season 2
Ruined by outdated pacing focusing on the minutia of busywork while rushing climaxes. Chip Fields' is the only actor with any charisma. That said, the practical stunts scaling skyscrapers and the Hong Kong filmed finale are very impressive.
Premiere: Sep 5, 1978
Doctor Strange
Surprisingly ambitious. FX limitations are assisted by the psychedelic editing & score. Jessica Walter of Arrested Development is the standout as Morgan Le Fay. Whitewashes Ancient One into Obi-Wan to bank on Star Wars. Ruined by terrible pacing.
Premiere: Sep 6, 1978
The Incredible Hulk Season 2
The expanded episode count thankfully brings some much needed variety in themes & stakes. Manages to develop Jack McGee into a likeable foil you can't help but root for. Even includes an incredibly rare cameo of the legendary Jack Kirby.
Premiere: Sep 22, 1978
The Incredible Hulk Season 3
A return to the darker, more emotional tone of the pilot movie. Guest stars Brenda Benet, Bixby's wife, as a psychic in a powerful episode where David is suicidal, made even more heartbreaking with the context of their real life tragedy.
Premiere: Sep 21, 1979
Spider-Woman The Animated Series
You can tell they just glanced at the name and their only thought was "Spider-Man + Wonder Woman = profit". The whole show is just knocking off the popular sci-fi of the time. Instead of Marvel villains we get The Bionic Midget and two separate Darth Vaders.
Premiere: Sep 22, 1979
The Incredible Hulk Season 4
This season's all over the place. Abandons realism for more fun sci-fi elements. David's experiment goes wrong & he becomes a sexual predator, he fights an evil proto-Hulk played by the Swamp Thing actor & even encounters an Alien presence.
Premiere: Nov 7, 1980
Spider-Man The Animated Series
Spidey's 2nd cartoon is a classic thats aged pretty well. The continuous background music is so dope they were sampled by Masta Killa & Czarface. Steals other comics villains like Dr. Doom & Magneto.
Premiere: Sep 12, 1981
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends Season 1
Focus groups thought Spidey was too much of a loner so they added the X-Men's Iceman & newcomer Firestar. Abandons comic accuracy for kid friendly appeal & somehow pulls it off against all odds, outliving the main series.
Premiere: Sep 12, 1981
The Incredible Hulk Season 5
An abrupt cancellation brings the series to an inadequate end. Only 7 episodes got through & they are all pretty goofy. The penultimate has David put to work in a mine by a black man as revenge for slavery. In the finale he gets E. coli...
Premiere: Oct 2, 1981
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends Season 2
Only 3 episodes, each telling a members origin. An interlude as they prepared the next full season, keeping their "Hulk & The Amazing Spider-Man" block intact. Firestar's acts as a backdoor pilot for a would be X-Men series.
Premiere: Sep 18, 1982
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends Season 3
Tries new things instead of just recycling villains. Introduces Iceman's sister Lightwave, Dracula enslaves Firestar & Spidey falls in love with a girl from the future. Stan Lee's narration really completes the package.
Premiere: Sep 17, 1983
The Incredible Hulk Returns
After 6 years David Banner's back & this time it's a Marvel Team-Up with Thor in his live action debut, oddly interpreted as a genie lacking his comic powers. Still great fan service for it's time & a satisfying comeback overall.
Premiere: May 22, 1988
The Trial of the Incredible Hulk
Bill Bixby takes over directing, dialling it back to the mature tone of the early seasons while still managing to introduce a genuinely comic accurate live action Daredevil. That said, the title is infuriatingly misleading.
Premiere: May 7, 1989
Pryde of the X-Men Animated Pilot
X-Men's first animated feature, later retooled into the iconic '90s series. Kitty Pryde joins just as Magneto attacks. Wolverine is hilariously Australian, setting up Hugh Jackman nicely. Was adapted into the hit Konami Arcade game.
Premiere: Sep 16, 1989
The Death of the Incredible Hulk
Plays like a typical episode, albeit with more sex & violence, before the abrupt ignominious end. They built up 5 seasons & movies of anticipation with no pay off. To make it worse, they scrapped introducing She-Hulk for this.
Premiere: Feb 18, 1990
X-Men Season 1
Tied for most iconic comics cartoon. Perfectly adapts characters & arcs to the format without pandering much to kids. Season 1 rushes to intro most of the classic villains as the team works to free Beast from prison. Best theme ever.
Premiere: Oct 31, 1992
X-Men Season 2
Fixes the break neck pacing of the first season. Individually fleshes out the cast while Xavier & Magneto are lost powerless at the mercy of Mr. Sinister in the Savage Land. Rogue's origin as a Captain Marvel villain is a stand out.
Premiere: Oct 23, 1993
X-Men Season 3
The Phoenix sagas are adapted very thoroughly, taking up most of the season. Doesn't even shy away from using Hellfire Club seduced dominatrix Dark Phoenix. Captures all the cosmic melodrama, with a few fun detours along the way. JEAN!
Premiere: Jul 29, 1994
Spider-Man Season 1
Cold opens with the Lizard, skipping the origin & high school years. Animation is rough but the character designs & saturated color exude nostalgia. A superb voice cast lay on the melodrama, mostly nailing the characterization.
Premiere: Nov 19, 1994
X-Men Season 4
Begins with a time travel story that inspired the Age Of Apocalypse comic event. Focuses on tying up loose ends. Highlights include the Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver, Proteus and the Phalanx sagas. The quality plummets for the last few.
Premiere: Sep 9, 1994
Spider-Man Season 2
Peter slowly mutates into a monstrous Man-Spider as he is stalked by Morbius, Blade & Punisher in the shows best season. Surprisingly pulls off the body horror & edgy characters in a kid's cartoon. Also crosses over with X-Men.
Premiere: Sep 9, 1995
Generation X Pilot
The first live action X-Men project. Matt Fewer is the only actor capable of channeling Jim Carrey's Riddler, but why did they want him to? It's incredibly corny and lighthearted before Fewer suddenly starts throwing slurs and threatening mind rape.
Premiere: Feb 20, 1996
Spider-Man Season 3
Doesn't shy away from some mature themes while finding clever ways to work around death in a kids cartoon. Consistently heavy on drama, capturing comic Spidey's anxiety. Some great team-ups with Dr. Strange, Daredevil & Iron Man.
Premiere: Apr 27, 1996
X-Men Season 5
Originally to end with Season 4's Apocalypse arc, Fox Kids extended the run by outsourcing the animation to save money. It devolved into a generic kids cartoon. Only the Captain America & Mr. Sinister episodes are worth watching.
Premiere: Sep 7, 1996
The Incredible Hulk Season 1
Balances the brooding tone of the TV series with comic accurate action. The cast is incredible, with Ferrigno finally voicing Hulk, Neal McDonough as Banner, Luke Perry as Rick Jones & Matt Frewer as The Leader. The intro is a masterpiece.
Premiere: Sep 8, 1996
Spider-Man Season 4
Mostly wraps up old plot threads while setting up the final season. Introduces Black Cat, tying her origins to Captain America. Deals with mature themes like lost love, grief, lust & only affording rent in a bad part of town.
Premiere: Feb 1, 1997
Spider-Man Season 5
Goes out with a Big Bang as the emotionally devastating MJ plot wraps before Spidey's drafted in the Secret Wars with the Fantastic Four, Avengers & X-Men. Ends with a precursor to Spider-Verse & a great Spider-Carnage What If...?.
Premiere: Sep 12, 1997
The Incredible Hulk Season 2
Due to poor ratings the network mandated a lighter tone & poorly aged 90's fashion while cutting the budget. The quality understandably takes a nosedive, but at least they made She-Hulk a regular & gave us a Joe Fixit episode.
Premiere: Sep 21, 1997
Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD
Terrible B-Movie schlock. David Hasselhoff's Nick Fury is bad in the best way. Has a pretty high budget for this sort of thing. Hits every cliché with a straight face. I can't even tell if they are in on the joke. Highly recommended.
Premiere: May 26, 1998
Spider-Man Unlimited The Animated Series
Chases cartoon trends like Batman Beyond's futuristic setting, new suit & heavy shadows. Surprisingly set on Counter-Earth ruled by the High Evolutionary sporting a bad redesign. A cliffhanger ending from an earned cancelation.
Premiere: Oct 2, 1999
X-Men: Evolution Season 1
The '90s animated series is a hard act to follow and nostalgia dying in the early 2000's really doesn't help. Class clown Nightcrawler and Rogue straight out of The Craft are unrecognizable. The awkward animation truly suits the setting at least. That finale was atrocious.
Premiere: Nov 4, 2000
X-Men: Evolution Season 2
It is still struggling to find a voice in the sophomore year, but the late addition of goth Scarlet Witch helps improve the grade for the finale. Framing everything around the public school is just dumb. So what, is the Xavier Institute just militarizing kids, not educating them?
Premiere: Sep 15, 2001
Mutant X Season 1
The intro states "concept created by Avi Arad". The concept? To bootleg the X-Men after the success of the film. It's a tasteless corporate scam, not a show. This hack is still at it to this day, swindling creatives into making fake Marvel movies like Madame Web.
Premiere: Oct 6, 2001
X-Men: Evolution Season 3
They have finally found their footing. The one-two punch of Rogue's overloading powers and the first appearance of X-23 really kicks things into high gear. The graduation and Apocalypse cliffhanger has me very intrigued going into the final season.
Premiere: Sep 14, 2002
Mutant X Season 2
For anyone complaining X-Men is too "woke", man does Avi Arad have the show for you! It's an all hot, straight, white team of eugenics "mutants" who fight ecoterrorists, often with the only message being to not question authority. It's terrible. You'll love it.
Premiere: Sep 30, 2002
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series
Offers a darker, more mature tone with a touch of blood & sexual tension. CGI has aged well thanks to cell shading. Packed with celebrity cameos like Michael Clarke Duncan's return as Kingpin. Brutal cliffhanger.
Premiere: Jul 11, 2003
X-Men: Evolution Season 4
Each season certainly improved on the last. The lingering threat of Apocalypse added some much needed focus and stakes, though he lost all personality in the redesign. His choice of horsemen was fun, but they desperately needed the Archangel design treatment.
Premiere: Aug 30, 2003
Mutant X Season 3
In my quest to watch every Marvel movie and show, this has been the most painful. Each season has certainly improved, but thats not saying much. Lawsuits from 20th Century Fox forced them to differentiate themselves from X-Men, so they unceremoniously killed off half the cast.
Premiere: Sep 29, 2003
Man-Thing
The Lawnmower Man director brings Man-Thing to live action as Artisan's final release. All the comic's charm is cut just to stitch together bland horror tropes until the 3rd act's admittedly impressive practical FX. Stars Hellcat's Rachael Taylor.
Premiere: Apr 21, 2005
Blade: The Series
Onyx's Sticky Fingaz as Blade was a strong choice. It's at it's best exploring his origins with Bokeem Woodbine's Steppin' Razor, but the Anne Rice style soft-core soap opera Vampires overpower the runtime. Surprisingly good action and gore for early Spike TV.
Premiere: Jun 28, 2006
Spectacular Spider-Man Season 1
Leans into the Saturday morning cartoon look without sacrificing the comic book action. I particularly love the take on Tombstone. Venom is a fresh mix of Ultimate & 616. An impressive foundation setting a high bar for the series.
Premiere: Mar 8, 2008
Wolverine and the X-Men The Animated Series
The art style mostly works, but is ill-suited for Wolverine in particular. It suffers more than past series in the inability to have him use his claws. Jean's disappearance reversing the roles of Logan and Cyclops opens up a compelling dynamic.
Premiere: Jan 23, 2009
Spectacular Spider-Man Season 2
A focus on betrayals & love triangles, with the action spliced to school Shakespeare plays. Nails the rouges gallery with infighting plots making the world feel lived in, but I hate the take on Green Goblin. The art style grows on you.
Premiere: Jun 2, 2009
Black Panther The Animated Series
A BET motion comic animating JRJR's iconic art with an all-star cast of Djimon Hounsou, Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard & Jill Scott. Bold & unapologetic with villains representing colonizer nations & Stan Lee as a racist US General.
Premiere: Jan 16, 2010
Iron Man The Anime Series
Warren Ellis returns to Iron Man after Extremis but doesn't reach the same heights. Though he does add an authenticity severely lacking from Wolverine, who appears for a Petrelli bros Heroes reunion. I'm mostly here for impressive traditional Japanese animation so the 3D is disappointing.
Premiere: Oct 1, 2010
Wolverine The Anime Series
With his comic history in Japan you would think this would be an easy win. I expected super stylized ultra-violence but got paint-by-numbers anime tropes. Is there a law that anime protagonists must be young? Because this tall slim mullet look just ain't it.
Premiere: Jan 7, 2011
X-Men The Anime Series
This is exactly what I envisioned hearing the term X-Men anime. Classic character designs stylized in sleek action scenes in forced perspective. It suffers from melodramatic pacing, but I find that is typical of anime. I would love a classic Marvel Vs Capcom series.
Premiere: Apr 1, 2011
Blade The Anime Series
Written by Battle Royal's Kenta Fukasaku. This is the first of these that I truly love. It plays out like a video game with special moves and boss fights ending each episode. Think Blade vs. Castlevania. The multicultural Vampire designs are exactly what the property needs.
Premiere: Jul 1, 2011
Ultimate Spider-Man Season 1
Spidey's recruited by SHIELD & saddled with a team, including kid versions of Luke Cage & Iron Fist. I get wanting it to have a unique voice but the 4th wall breaking goes way too far. The Looney Tunes tone is fun but at the cost of any suspense.
Premiere: Apr 1, 2012
Ultimate Spider-Man Season 2
Either I've built up a tolerance or the show's incessant 4th wall breaking is less annoying now, at least until Deadpool shows up. Blade's Howling Commandos was great & I wish they spun-off this DnA style Guardians Of The Galaxy instead!
Premiere: Jan 21, 2013
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore
Guest stars Black Widow, Hawkeye and Norman Reedus' Punisher steal the show. The animation is great as expected, but it all falls apart in the third act thanks to the Anime trope I hate where the hero suddenly wins on a whim after losing the entire runtime.
Premiere: Apr 24, 2013
Avengers Assemble Season 1
Abandons Ultimate Spider-Man's zany tone for something closer to Earth's Mightiest Heroes, even referencing it in a flashback. Changes aspect ratios attempting an IMAX blockbuster look. Great reoccurring villains like Dr. Doom, Hyperion & Dracula.
Premiere: May 26, 2013
Hulk and the Agents of SMASH Season 1
Follows Ultimate Spider-Man's format, teaming him with She-Hulk, Red Hulk, ABomb & Skaar, giving them military vehicles & breaking the 4th wall at every opportunity. Skews young outside of an appreciated 2001 A Space Odyssey reference.
Premiere: Aug 11, 2013
Agents of SHIELD Season 1
Really impressive when removed from the fan expectations coming out of Avengers. Fitz-Simmons steal it. Walks the tightrope of being an X Files style procedural, tying into 3 MCU films & introducing Deathlok. NickFury & Sif even have big cameos.
Premiere: Sep 24, 2013
Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United
Really should have just been an episode of Avengers Assemble. Uses a process called 2-D Wrap to convert animation to 3D. Works great for monsters & robots outside of a few pixelated close ups, but Tony's face is right out of an Xbox 360 game.
Premiere: Dec 3, 2013
Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors Season 3
Keeps it fresh by expanding the team into an Avengers Academy. Breaks out the Spider-Verse mixing up animation styles 4 years before the film & ends in a Contest Of Champions crossover with Avengers Assemble & Hulk Agents of SMASH.
Premiere: Jun 7, 2013
Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher Anime
The last instalment's standouts take the spotlight. Its a shame Norman Reedus didn't return as Punisher. The Avengers are just unnecessary cameos. As always, the animation is the main draw. Lets just say they put in overtime on Black Widow.
Premiere: Mar 25, 2014
Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United
The upped resolution helps but without mo-cap the animation just feels wonky. Taskmaster looks great in his Udon design but is poorly utilized. Aimed to bring in younger audiences who only watch 3D shows so it's all action no stakes.
Premiere: Jul 29, 2014
Agents of SHIELD Season 2
Skips the Monster of the Week format for a full season of spy thriller A plot. Keeps up the breakneck pacing for the full antiquated 22 episode order. Topped with Kyle MacLachlan as Skye's father, bringing a taste of that unhinged Twin Peaks energy.
Premiere: Sep 23, 2014
Avengers Assemble Season 2
Ruins their Infinity Saga by revolving it around a robot gifted to Tony by his father & committing the sin of turning Thanos into a clichéd villain that grows giant. They couldn't even use the Soul Stone. The Squadron Supreme arc was fun at least.
Premiere: Sep 28, 2014
Hulk and the Agents of SMASH Season 2
It just doesn't work. The generic art doesn't fit the tone, the humor is mostly annoying & She-Hulk & Skaar are wasted. That said, Red Hulk's dynamic with #Abomination is interesting & the Obnoxio spoof of Stephen King's IT was great.
Premiere: Oct 12, 2014
Agent Carter Season 1
An incredibly fun '40s period piece with a strong & authentic cast following Peggy Carter after WWII. Recaptures the pulpy tone of The First Avenger. Sharp writing, impressive yet subtle visual FX & an iconic leading performance from Hayley Atwell.
Premiere: Jan 6, 2015
Daredevil Season 1
Perfects the dark & brooding tone while retaining a sense of realism. Cox & D'Onofrio are astounding & the action is brutally visceral. Filmed on location in NYC for authenticity. The Kingpin love story is brilliant & adds incredible depth to the villain.
Premiere: Apr 10, 2015
Guardians of the Galaxy Shorts Season 1
A rare occasion where the shorts are actually essential viewing for the series. Gives each member a brief origin, mostly inspired by Bendis' run. It's all fun character stuff, aside from a terrible retcon that diminishes Gamora's agency.
Premiere: Aug 1, 2015
Guardians of the Galaxy Season 1
Spins out of the film, mixing the MCU aesthetic with comics lore mostly from Bendis' run. While the generic house art style & annoyingly juvenile Star-Lord hold it back, Rocket Raccoon's Jewish mother right out of Seinfeld is a thing of beauty.
Premiere: Aug 1, 2015
Agents of SHIELD Season 3
An eclectic mix of Hickman's Secret Warriors, the Inhumans relaunch & Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey that rewrites Hydra history & culminates in a satisfying conclusion to the Grant Ward story arc. A big improvement in fight choreography & practical FX.
Premiere: Sep 29, 2015
Jessica Jones Season 1
A contemporary noir where the hardboiled gumshoe is the feme fatale on the trail of her own abuser. The lightening in a bottle casting of Daredevil's pro & antagonist strikes again. Ritter & Tennant's exploration of trauma elevate the cat & mouse plot.
Premiere: Nov 20, 2015
Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!
A harmless kids Christmas special. Super Hero Squad's Reptil crossing over with Avengers Assemble & Guardians Of The Galaxy is fun, even if it's to stop Loki from stealing Santa's powers & teach Iron Man the meaning of Christmas.
Premiere: Dec 11, 2015
Agent Carter Season 2
Takes the action to Hollywood for a soft focused followup. James D'Arcy's Jarvis is expanded to a much greater range, becoming the show's heart. Unfortunately, the love triangle, sci-fi elements & proto-Madame Masque underwhelm. Atwell always shines.
Premiere: Jan 19, 2016
Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. The Sinister Six Season 4
We got a clone saga were they can't say clone, a Spider-Verse return that even Joe Fixit Noir couldn't fix & a terrible Kaiju Doc Ock series finale. They pretty much ditched the 4th wall breaks & Carnage-MJ was cool at least.
Premiere: Feb 21, 2016
Daredevil Season 2
Mostly keeps the high quality of the 1st but stumbles in the finale & some character choices. Yung is great but the writers bungled Elektra & her costume is right out of Mortal Kombat. Bernthal's explosive #Punisher performance rivals D'Onofrio's Kingpin.
Premiere: Mar 18, 2016
Agents of SHIELD: Slingshot
6 shorts starring Yoyo of the Secret Warriors set during the time jump. While it's always nice to get more character development, I continue to be underwhelmed by the general concept of shorts. It's just too insubstantial & only for completionists.
Premiere: Dec 13, 2016
Agents of SHIELD Season 4
Debuts Ghost Rider & the Darkhold in the 1st half before we finally get an LMD in the form of AIDA. The time jump is messy & the halves don't mesh well but they really manage to mine the drama out of the sci-fi & impressively recycle all of their FX.
Premiere: Sep 20, 2016
Luke Cage Season 1
A crime thriller paying respect to its blaxploitation roots. The club's live music adds atmosphere before Twin Peaks returned. Gritty crime & comic villain elements clash slightly. Impeccable casting. Trades the hallway one-shot for the Wu-Tang needle drop.
Premiere: Sep 30, 2016
Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell
Hulk teams with Dr. Strange & Warwolf's HowlingCommandos to stop Nightmare. An improvement over Frost Fight! & more inline with Avengers Assemble tonally. Dr. Strange's redesign is bland, but anything is better than the original Tim Burton look.
Premiere: Oct 21, 2016
Legion Season 1
Noah Hawley's astral odyssey is a psychological horror masterpiece. He was clearly fishing from David Lynch's spot on the unified field, releasing only months before Twin Peaks: The Return. Aubrey Plaza's performance is transcendental. It's easily in the top 3 comic book shows of all time.
Premiere: Feb 8, 2017
Rocket & Groot The Animated Series
A wonderful blend of classic animation techniques & modern CG that's perfectly suited for capturing the style of the Skottie Young comic. Masterfully paced, pulling off almost as much plot as a 22 minute cartoon in a brisk 2 minutes.
Premiere: Mar 10, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Season 2
Takes inspiration from the superb DnA run this time, focusing on Adam Warlock with a suitable new spin. It's clear this was the only research done for the video games, lifting the changes to Star-Lord, Warlock & Mantis & including Fin Fang Foom.
Premiere: Mar 11, 2017
Iron Fist Season 1
A rare Marvel miscast. Presents Danny as boring, unlikable & lacking form. It's so bland the violence feels jarring. The rest of the cast works. Colleen Wing is the standout. Wu-Tang's RZA directs the best episode, bringing some much needed Shaolin Style.
Premiere: Mar 17, 2017
Ant-Man The Animated Series
This is the proper use of these animated shorts. Let indy auteurs experiment with unconventional characters and fund it using international tax breaks. It's got an unhinged hypnotic quality to it, like Speed Racer with a touch of Ren & Stimpy.
Premiere: Jun 10, 2017
Avengers Assemble: Secret Wars Season 4
A strong "final" season focusing on the New Avengers, culminating in a 9-part Secret Wars mash up. Alt-right hipster Beyonder is hilariously terrible, looking fresh off a podcast scrutinizing Brie Larson. The antithesis of Jheri Curls.
Premiere: Jun 17, 2017
Spider-Man Season 1
Takes after Big Hero 6, focusing on a Silicon Valley-like school and its headmaster. Making Doc Ock a teenage classmate is a step too far. It's generic but an improvement over Ultimate Spider-Man. Spider Island was fun, but the Man-Spiders are right outta Dead Space.
Premiere: Jun 28, 2017
Defenders The Complete Series
Less than the sum of its parts. An obligation like Iron Fist before it. The shortened run needed faster pacing. Even Luke Cage's patented Wu-Tang needle drop can't save the bland action. Butchers Elektra & The Hand. Carried by the great cast.
Premiere: Aug 18, 2017
Inhumans The Complete Series
Everyone involved was scammed: the fans, cast, Marvel Studios, IMAX, even Hawaii. They took the tax credit & IMAX funding, hired Scott Buck, the showrunner of Iron Fist, & left the rest to the MCU's rep. Anson Mount really could have been great as Black Bolt.
Premiere: Sep 1, 2017
The Gifted Season 1
Being created by Matt Nix, I was hoping for a tone & pacing more in line with Burn Notice but it's just more of the same from the Fox X-Men series. The Sentinels are just toy size now to fit a TV budget. Jamie Chung is great as Blink & should be the lead.
Premiere: Oct 2, 2017
The Punisher Season 1
A return to form. Takes liberties to modernize, swapping NY Italian for southern conservative, bringing it more inline with today's misguided idea of him without betraying the core of the character. A nuanced take on domestic terrorism & ultra violence.
Premiere: Nov 17, 2017
Runaways Season 1
Nails the edgy teen melodrama tone with the instagram filter aesthetic & authentic cast. Impressive FX, especially the Jurassic Park mix on Old Lace. The changes are a mixed bag. Older Molly & the Scientology-like cult work, The science based Staff of One not so much.
Premiere: Nov 21, 2017
Agents of SHIELD Season 5
They finally gave Yoyo something to do, amped up the gore & again made the most of the sci-fi, but also made a mess of Graviton & filled it with Power Rangers level fights with Mortal Kombat ninjas. Saved by De Caestecker's heartbreaking performance.
Premiere: Dec 1, 2017
Jessica Jones Season 2
With Killgrave out of the picture high stakes are replaced with a focus on character studies examining childhood trauma & how the cast adapted to cope. The abrupt ending is frustrating, but all the character development long the way is well worth it.
Premiere: Mar 8, 2018
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! Season 3
It's mostly filler and rehashed ideas, like the redundant Carnage-Thanos and yet another Asgard war. Black Vortex had fun trying different art styles at least. Overall the series was carried by Rocket Racoon and dragged down by the characterization of Star-Lord.
Premiere: Mar 18, 2018
Legion Season 2
Less structure allows them to expand on the chaos of dream logic. Utilizing mediums like interpretive dance and traditional animation to portray psychic battles is brilliant, showing a confidence in the source material that was desperately lacking in the Fox X-Men films.
Premiere: Apr 3, 2018
Cloak and Dagger Season 1
A gritty teen drama achieving a tone closer to Marvel Netflix than Agents of SHIELD. Compelling changes incorporate New Orleans culture & invert character stereotypes. They nailed the casting & the slow pacing pays off, building to a literal climax.
Premiere: Jun 7, 2018
Spider-Man Season 2
It's clear now they de-aged DocOck to make Superior Spider-Man less problematic. A lesson learned from Bendis' infamous Ultimate Spider-Man/Wolverine body swap. It makes the change much more digestible and the storyline saved what would have been a pretty bland season.
Premiere: Jun 18, 2018
Luke Cage Season 2
Marvel Netflix at its best. BushMaster shakes things up with his Jamaican swagger, upping the action. Woodard's Black Mariah outdoes Cottonmouth. Performances by Hip-Hop legends Ghostface Killah, KRS-One & Rakim push it all to the next level.
Premiere: Jun 22, 2018
Marvel Rising: Initiation
The third soft reboot to this continuity makes room for Spider-Gwen using shorts targeting girls with a youthful tone. Her origin is cleverly reworked to organically connect to Ms. Marvel and Chloe Bennet's Quake. The characterization is on point.
Premiere: Aug 13, 2018
Iron Fist Season 2
Does everything to address the criticisms short of recasting. It's got the mask, K'un-Lun, a focus on Coleen Wing & a shortened run time. A marked improvement but still a far cry from the rest of Marvel Netflix. They should have just done Heroes For Hire.
Premiere: Sep 7, 2018
Avengers: Black Panther's Quest
Black Panther rightfully gets a spin-off after the success of his movie and its easily the best season. They make great use of Baron Zemo and Atlantis, but it's odd they use the comics Killmonger and Man-Ape M'Baku when the MCU versions are far superior.
Premiere: Sep 23, 2018
The Gifted Season 2
The focus on the Strucker family & the inflexible tone completely kill the experience. Even the Fox X-Men films had small moments of levity. Wasted some great casting with Polaris, Blink & The Stepford Cuckoos. Still a step up from the CW comic shows.
Premiere: Sep 25, 2018
Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors
Cloe Bennet's Quake puts together an animated Secret Warriors. This new girl power tone feels fresh, even though the pop music needle drops make me shudder. They did a great job capturing Ms. America Chavez and Squirrel Girl's characters.
Premiere: Sep 30, 2018
Daredevil Season 3
With Defenders out of the way Daredevil is back in black & back to basics. Recaptures the greatness of the 1st by refocusing on Kingpin & introducing a bold new take on Bullseye. Culminates in a satisfying series finale, passing the baton to the MCU.
Premiere: Oct 19, 2018
Runaways Season 2
A clunky season mostly retreading old ground. Splitting time with Pride has become a real drag. It's already getting formulaic, with each parent getting 1-on-1 time & forced excuses to sideline Old Lace. That said, the talented young cast keep it engaging.
Premiere: Dec 21, 2018
The Punisher Season 2
Strays too far adapting Frank for general audiences. Unforgivably has him date & spare criminals. Jigsaw's makeup is laughably subtle, undermining the entire character. An aimless plot, but it hits more than misses thanks entirely to Bernthal's performance.
Premiere: Jan 18, 2019
Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron
Its a slight step up in quality over the last special. What this series does right is authentic portrayals of its heroes and Riri here is no different. That said, the team is getting way too crowded. Patriot and Inferno are nothing but set dressing at this point.
Premiere: Apr 3, 2019
Cloak and Dagger Season 2
Walks back on some progress, which is frustrating with the slow pace and cancelation. The cast are the highlight, including the grounded take on D'Spayre used to embody the shows themes. Overall, I'd say they've earned a Secret Wars or Daredevil cameo.
Premiere: Apr 4, 2019
Agents of SHIELD Season 6
It should have ended at five seasons. They just don't have the costume budget for space adventures. It's like they realized last minute they needed a villain and grabbed a random wig and jumpsuit and threw it on the first audition they saw. Only the Fitz/Simmons stuff works.
Premiere: May 10, 2019
Jessica Jones Season 3
Built on the poor foundation of the previous finale. The cast, performances & cinematography are all great, but the characterization of Trish Walker, who takes centre stage, frustratingly drags it all down. Luckily Ritter carries the show to the finale.
Premiere: Jun 14, 2019
Legion Season 3
This is the best live action X-Men project to date. Just when you think you have wrapped your mind around it, they add in time travel to throw you off-kilter. It's like an Ayahuasca fuelled out of body experience. Navid Negahban's Shadow King is an all-timer villain.
Premiere: Jun 24, 2019
Marvel Rising: Battle of the Bands
Dove Cameron's Spider-Gwen is good but she didn't need three of these specials. I'm really here for our only taste of Milana Vayntrub's Squirrel Girl after New Warriors was scrapped. At least we finally get a fun villain thanks to Screaming Mimi.
Premiere: Aug 28, 2019
Marvel Rising: Operation Shuri
It's crazy to me that the penultimate instalment is just more filler adding another new character. Did they quietly drop Chloe Bennet's Quake? Why is Ironheart already missing? It would be great if all these fun powerful girls were given something worthwhile to do.
Premiere: Oct 6, 2019
Runaways Season 3
It's the Nico Minoru show now & it works. Elizabeth Hurley's Morgan Le Fay brings some much needed campy comics charm, along with Agents of SHEILD's tacky Darkhold & Cloak and Dagger's Dark(force) Dimension. The phone plot was a little too on the nose though.
Premiere: Dec 13, 2019
Marvel Rising: Playing With Fire
It ends with a whimper. They put together a fun team of young heroes voiced by a great cast, but without any purpose or plan going forward. Inferno was never more than a corporate mandate. Why would they feel the need to invent their own villains?
Premiere: Dec 18, 2019
Spider-Man: Maximum Venom Season 3
It has much better pacing thanks to a shortened season that is split into 2-parters. There is some decent horror imagery like the Veno-Monolith and Resident Evil Green Goblin, but the stakes aren't felt because the heroes are never pushed to desperation.
Premiere: Apr 19, 2020
Agents of SHIELD Season 7
I can't believe they wasted the last 3 seasons on the Chronicom. Had no business time/space traveling & it shows. Repetitive resurrections leave no stakes. This should have been a grounded spy thriller against Hydra & AIM. Saved the worst for last.
Premiere: May 27, 2020
Helstrom The Complete Series
Shaves off the edges to fit with general audiences resulting in a dull, soulless product. Son Of Satan is nearing Iron Fist levels of bland. Satana is actually pretty compelling & there's some decent gore FX here & there, but not enough to save it.
Premiere: Oct 16, 2020
MODOK The Animated Series
The Marvel character Patton Oswalt was born to play. Pushes far beyond the Robot Chicken influences with clean stop motion animation & a well utilized cast cherry picked from some of TV's best comedies. Clever writing with great comic deep cuts.
Premiere: May 21, 2021
Hit-Monkey Season 1
This was James Gunn's original pitch to Marvel before they recommended Guardians Of The Galaxy. You can feel his sensibilities in the property, but it goes a little too far with the exploitative Monkey death. The animation is good, but a more traditional anime style would have fit perfectly.
Premiere: Nov 17, 2021
Hit-Monkey Season 2
This show has really grown on me. There is some great character work buried under all the dead bodies. I usually wince at eco-terrorism plots from giant corporations, but I'll give them a pass. I will say, between Sudeikis and Leslie Jones the constant profanity gets grating.
Premiere: Jul 15, 2024
